


Filthy Ever After

by saltwatergirl



Series: Filthy Text [6]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternative Universe – No Girlfriends, Coming Out, Explicit Sexual Content, Liam POV, M/M, Romance, Smut, Valentine’s Day, Wedding, Zayn POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 13:36:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6008221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltwatergirl/pseuds/saltwatergirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam accidently proposes to Zayn, whose interested response is <i>definitely not</i> accidental.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Filthy Ever After

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, [knewkirk](http://archiveofourown.org/users/knewkirk) for the beta read.
> 
> At last I have finished this series. Happy Valentine's Day 2016!

Accidently proposing to Zayn was probably the worst and best thing to ever happen to Liam. He loved Zayn and would’ve gladly spent the rest of his life with him - that was a no-brainer. However, he was twenty years old, in a world famous band and unsure if he was ready to settle down with another guy. 

He asked himself, was he in love? Yes. Did he enjoy sex with Zayn? Double yes. Was he ready to commit to the whole ‘til death do us’ part? Umm… So three weeks into their secret engagement, Liam was still trying to figure out how to share all of this with Zayn. If his friends and family knew about their relationship, maybe he could muster up the courage to talk to them about his worries.

Liam sat up in bed. Why didn’t more people know about him and Zayn? Louis was cool, he’d done his share of fucked up things he wouldn’t judge Liam and Zayn. Plus the lad was good at keeping a secret. Liam got out of bed, pulled on his jeans and made his way to Louis’ hotel room, before he could talk himself out of it. He rapped his knuckles on the door, not caring that it was 2am in the morning.

“The fuck?” Louis opened the door, his eyes half closed.

“I need your advice.” Liam barged into the room, shutting the door after himself.

“I’m sleeping,” Louis said.

“No, you’re not.”

Louis collapsed onto the bed facedown. “Yes, I am.”

“A few months ago I sent Zayn a dick pic and we ended up sexting then I called him and we had phone sex and started hooking up regularly which led to three weeks ago when I accidently proposed and he said yes thinking I was serious,  now I’m freaking out because I’m engaged.” Liam blurted in one breath.

Louis rolled onto his back and sat up. “How do you accidently propose to someone?”

Liam raised a brow. “Did you hear the part where I sent my best mate a picture of my erect penis?”

“Heard it, then moved on to the part where you accidently proposed to said best friend.” Louis rolled his eyes. “Besides, I know you and Zayn have been fucking.”

“What?”

“Don’t look so surprised. You and Zayn are _obvious_.”

“No, we’re not.”

“Yes, you are. Especially when you have sex while your mates are in the room.”

Liam sat on the edge of the bed. “Zayn and I have never –” he paused seeing the smug look on Louis’ face. “When?”

“Three months ago. We were in Australia.”

Liam remembered, that was when he and Zayn had had a hacker trying to extort money from them. They had gone to Zayn’s room while Paul and his IT security expert friend had been tracking down the hacker. To distract themselves from the situation he and Zayn had - Liam’s face coloured.

“You said _mates_. As in plural.”

“Yeah, Harry was also there.”

“Oh. God.” Liam buried his face in his arms.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, mate.”

“What were you doing in Zayn’s hotel room?”

“Harry wanted to collect something Zayn had borrowed. We didn’t _expect_ you two to come back and hop into bed.”

“The decent thing would’ve been to let us know that you were there.” Liam could just die. As if having some stranger seeing his and Zayn’s intimate pictures hadn’t been enough. Louis and Harry had watched him and Zayn having sex.

“Now that you mention it, yeah that would have been the obvious thing.” Louis nudged Liam’s shoulder. “No use crying over it now. Your and Zayn’s engagement is the best news I’ve heard in a while.”

“Are you taking a piss?” Liam raised his face from his arms and looked at Louis.

“No, I’m being serious. I knew something had changed with you. I didn’t know what it was but you were so happy. Just being around you, the both of you, it made me happy. I only connected the dots once I saw you ramming Zayn.”

Liam felt his face grow hot. “Yeah, Zayn makes me really happy.”

“And you love him?”

“Yes.”

“And he loves you?”

“Yes, he does.”

“So what’s the problem that has you knocking on my door in the middle of the night?”

Liam thought for a second. “I don’t think we’re ready to get married. We’re kids. And I’m not sure if I’m ready for people to know.”

“You don’t want to come out?”

“I know the media will make a circus out of it. Our parents don’t know and Zayn has a community of people who look up to him and may not want to accept that this is who he is. Once we let people know, there’s no un-ringing that bell. We’ll be out. Simon’s says he’ll support whatever decision we make but-” Liam paused seeing the expression on Louis’ face. “Why are your eyes bugging out like that?”

_“You told Simon?”_

“Yes.”

“As in Simon Cowell?”

“Yes, which other Simon would we tell?”

“No fucking way.”

For the first time since Liam walked into the room, Louis looked shocked. Liam felt a frisson of satisfaction. Now that’s what he was expecting when he shared his big news with Louis. Jaws on the floor.

“Zayn and I had to tell them - a few months back - there was a situation.”

“What situation would lead to you coming out to Simon?”

“Someone hacked our nudes and tried to extort money from us. Simon and Paul helped us.”

“Paul Higgins?”

“Yes.”

Louis threw his arms in the air, “Wow, just- wow.”

“Why is this so shocking to you?” Liam asked.

 “It’s not shocking. I never thought you would tell Simon and Paul before you told Niall, Harry and me.”

“For the longest time there wasn’t much to tell.” Liam shrugged.  “It was just sex.” Melt your brain hot, break the bed sex. But sex nonetheless. Then one day it became more.

“Since you're here and in full chatty Cathy mode please explain how one 'accidently proposes'." Louis said.

"Chatty Cathy?"

"It's an expression. Spill the beans." Louis nudged Liam's elbow with his foot.

"Get that thing away from me." Liam shoved Louis' foot away. "It was a few months after Australia. We were in the States and I managed to lift a ring from one of those fair machines. Later I’m goofing around in the tour bus and I get down on one knee and say _'Make me the luckiest guy in the world and marry me'_. Zayn's eyes just lit up and he said 'Yes'. Then my smile freezes on my face when I realise what I’ve just done but I can’t say I was joking so I put the ring on his finger. And that was that, we’re engaged."

"That might be the most stupidly romantic thing I ever heard." Louis wiped away fake tears.

"Stop screwing around and give me advice."

"Tell him the truth."

"After three weeks of pretending I meant to propose?" Liam asked.

"Yes, he'll understand. Or do you want to accidently marry him as well?"

 Liam could see himself spending the rest of his life with Zayn. It was the 'tying the knot' part that made him feel panicked. How could he love Zayn so much and yet he was freaked out by the idea of being married to him?

"You've been quiet for too long."

"I don't know, Louis."

Louis rolled off the bed and pulled Liam to his feet. He guided Liam to the door. "You asked for my advice, I have provided it. I’d like to return to bed." He pushed Liam out the door, Liam turned in time to have it slam in front of his face. Rude.

##### ***

Zayn laid in bed looking at the ring he had on his necklace chain. Were they really going to do it? The big M. _Marriage_. He reached for his phone and pulled up Liam's number. It was late, not that Liam would mind hearing from him. Zayn scrolled back to his contacts and dialled Harry instead.

"It's late, Zayn."

"I can't sleep." He heard Harry sigh heavily.

"Is this about your betrothal?"

"Yes."

"Just tell Liam already."

"I can't. You weren't there when he proposed. He looked so hopeful and scared. He tried to play it off like he was joking but I knew he was being serious. He’ll be _devastated_ if I break off the engagement." Zayn paused. Dead air. "Harry?"

"Sorry, I fell asleep." Harry yawned loudly. There was a rustle of fabric. "Zayn, is this really about marrying Liam or are you scared about coming out?"

Zayn closed his eyes.

"It's okay to be frightened. Some people go through their entire lives without admitting who they are."

"No one in my family knows about me."

"I know."

"Telling you about Liam was difficult even though I knew you wouldn't hate me for being in a relationship with another man,” Zayn said. “There's what I want and there's what I shouldn't want. Liam’s the latter."

"You can't help who you love."

"People don't see it that way."

"Then fuck them. This is your life, not theirs."

"I know. It's still difficult. It was easy when we were just fooling around. It didn't have to mean more than just a hook-up.” Zayn sometimes wished he and Liam could go back to how they were when they were no pending nuptials looming in the horizon. It had been easy. And after three weeks of being engaged, Zayn knew Liam would want to take the next step. The thought of the press conferences and ‘coming out’ announcements made his heart palpitate in his chest.

“You and Liam will figure it out. That’s what you do,” Harry said.

“Any progress on the Louis front?” Zayn asked. When Harry didn’t respond, Zayn said. “You still haven’t told him.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Tell him how you feel.”

“It’s too late for us.” Harry said sadly.

A month ago Harry had confessed to Zayn about him and Louis accidently peeping on Liam and Zayn having sex. Harry had apologised and told Zayn about his relationship with Louis. For years Louis and Harry’s interactions had seemed strained. Zayn had assumed that was due to the constant media speculation over their relationship. Never in a million years would Zayn have guessed that the tension in Harry and Louis’ relationship was a result of a one night stand they’d had, back when they lived together.

“Louis has feelings for you.”

“Has he told you that himself?” Harry asked.

“Not in so many words.”

“Meaning not at all.” 

“You were just seventeen.”

“I broke his heart and then I was too much of a coward to apologise so he’s spent the last couple of years thinking that I hate him. There’s no taking that back.” Harry sighed heavily. “We have a show tonight. I need to sleep. Talk to you later.”

“Bye.” They both hung up.

Zayn put his phone down and picked up the ring on his chain. He stared at it for the longest time before he slid the ring onto his ring finger.

##### ***

They were alone in a dressing room backstage before a show when Zayn said, “Liam, we need to talk.”

Liam looked up from the Timberland boots he was lacing up. “That sounds vaguely ominous.”

“It’s not anything bad.” Zayn picked his words carefully. He knew he was torturing himself unnecessarily, Liam was easy to talk to and he’d listen to Zayn’s concerns about their engagement. He wanted to be with Liam but he wasn’t ready for all the baggage that came with being publicly out.  “How sure are you about us?” he asked.

“Like on a scale of one-to-ten?” Liam joked.

“Like from now until the rest of our lives,” Zayn said. “How sure are you? Because I want to be. But there’re so many thoughts running through my head. I love you, that parts easy. But how easy will it be when we have the entire fucking world watching us? How easy will it be when the band is over and we have to make it work long-distance?” How easy will it be when Zayn gets excommunicated by his extended family? The drinking, fornication and tattoos they could tolerate, homosexuality? Not so much so.

Liam stared at him, his eyes serious. “I’ve asked myself the same question over the last three and a half weeks. I don’t know how to tell you this but I wasn’t being serious when I proposed to you.”

Zayn blinked. “What?”

“I was fooling around.”

“Why didn’t you tell me at the time?”

“You were serious when you said ‘yes’.” Liam walked across the room to stand in front of Zayn. “I didn’t want to upset you.”

“Upset me? I said yes so I wouldn’t hurt your feelings.” Zayn laughed. Only he and Liam would ever complicate something as simple as a marriage proposal. “And if I hadn’t wanted to talk about our engagement today, would you have just married me?”

“Louis asked me the same thing,” Liam said sheepishly. “He sort of knows about us.”

“That’s good because I’ve been talking to Harry.”

“Did Harry tell you about him and Louis-”

“Spying on us having sex? Yep.”

“The perverts,” Liam said affectionately.

“Does this mean the engagement is off?” Zayn asked.

“I may have been joking when I proposed but my feelings for you are real. I know that someday, I do want to marry you.”

“That’s good because I want to marry you too,” Zayn got down onto one knee, reaching for the ring he normally wore and pulled it off. “So what do you say, Liam, do you want to marry me? And for the record, _I’m being dead serious_.”

Liam knelt down in front of Zayn. “Yes.”

Zayn kissed Liam and slid the ring onto Liam’s finger.

##### ***

They went back to Zayn’s hotel room. The show had been fun, the fans had sung along, shaking the stadium. Liam could really do this for the rest of his life, he loved performing and being on stage. He and Zayn shower together, they’re too exhausted to do much else, having two shows back to back was no joke.  They climbed into bed and held hands.

 “We’re really doing this?” Liam stared down at their linked hands.

“Yes, we are.” Zayn responded. “I don’t want to keep this a secret anymore.”

 “You want to tell our families?”

“I want to tell everyone,” Zayn said. “I’m ready to come out.”

##### ***

After Zayn became famous, the one thing that his parents insisted on was that they hear important news directly from him, and not to read about it in the papers.  Zayn wondered if his parents had suspected that one day he would be sharing something like this. His heart was beating so fast, god he felt like he was sixteen again and auditioning on The X-Factor. He was going to be sick. Fuck.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He leaned against Liam, breathing Liam’s familiar scent. He could do this. He wasn’t alone in it anymore. He would never be alone again, that was what marriage was. A partnership. He could borrow some of Liam’s strength.

“We don’t have to tell them today.” Liam said as if he could hear the thoughts running through Zayn’s head.

“I want to,” Zayn said. “I already told them that I have news. They’re expecting me to Skype.”

“Okay. You look a little green.” Liam placed his palm gently against Zayn’s cheek. Zayn closed his eyes, composing himself. “Would you like some water?”

“Yes.”

Liam got up and opened the mini-fridge, he pulled out bottled water and poured some into a glass. He carried it back to the desk, handing the glass to Zayn.

 “Thanks, babe.” Zayn swallowed down the water. His head was still spinning. He wished he was a million miles away from this room and what he was about to do. He glanced at the time. 6:17am. Thirteen minutes to go.

"Whatever the outcome, know that I'm will be with you every step of the way." Liam reached for Zayn's hand and raised it to his lips.

"Let's log on." Zayn said. Liam released Zayn’s hand and logged onto Skype. Zayn's mother was already online. Liam glanced at Zayn. Zayn nodded his head.

Liam began the call.

***

Liam hadn’t felt nervous about coming out to Zayn's parents - until he was seated in front of a computer screen looking at them. The Maliks had exchanged pleasantries with them, the weather had been discussed and now an awkward silence had befallen them.  Trish gave her husband a side-glance. They were wondering why Liam was there. _Zayn, say something_ , Liam thought.

"I saw bits of the concert that Simon sent me. The stage is massive," Yaser said.

"There are so many people in the stadium you can't even see them all, they’re just a blur." Liam said.

"You'll be heading to North America after this?" Trish asked.

"Yes," Liam felt like he had hijacked the Skype call. He glanced at Zayn who seemed to be zoned out. He nudged Zayn's right foot with his.

"Mum, Dad. There’s something I have to tell you," Zayn began. Trish instantly looked worried.

"Are you sick?" she asked.

"No, nothing like that." Zayn cleared his throat. "This involves Liam. We are, um. We sort of are - we're engaged." Yaser and Trish glanced at one another.

"Engaged?" Trish asked.

"To one another. He and I are..." Zayn looked at Liam.

"We want to spend the rest of our lives together," Liam said.

"I don't understand." Trish said. "Zayn, you aren't-" she stopped and exchanged another look with Yaser. "You like girls."

"I also like boys." Zayn said quietly.

"You're on the road all the time. I'm sure Liam has been a great comfort to you. But he's your _friend_. What you and him share is nothing like what you’re father and I share."

"I told myself the same thing, mum. It's just a phase. I'm just curious. It's just…sex. But I know it's more than that." Zayn reached for Liam's hand. "I wanted to tell you because I promised you I would bring you big news first."

"But marriage?" Trish asked. She glanced at her husband. "Yaser, say something."

Zayn's dad stood and left. 

"Zayn, you've upset your father with all this talk." Trish pressed her fingers to her temple as if she was feeling the start of a headache. "You can't be serious about this. What would Simon Cowell say if he heard this talk?"

"He already knows."

"And he condones this sort of thing?" Trish asked.

Liam felt Zayn squeeze his hand. "He wants us to be happy."

"I wouldn't choose this for you. You know what people are going to say. Zayn, you can't go through with this."

"I don't want to hide who I am." 

"I feel like I don't even know my child anymore." Trish started to cry. "I'm scared for you."

"I know."

"Don't worry about your father. I'll talk to him. I love you."

"I love you too, mum."

Zayn ended the call. His hand trembled in Liam's. "Did I sound scared?"

"No, you were fine." Liam pressed a kiss to Zayn's temple. "I think you need to take a lie down, yeah?"

"Yeah." Zayn stood on quivering legs. Liam guided him to the bed. Together they climbed under the covers.

"Did my dad seem angry?" Zayn asked.

"Your mum’s talking to him. I’m sure he'll come around." Liam didn't sound certain.

##### ***

"Is everyone here?" Simon Jones looked around the board room. He looked like he was mentally checking off the men and women in his head. The last time Liam had spent so much time in meetings was when they were doing promo for _This is Us_. Simon Cowell was also in attendance as were his two lawyers. There was a rep from Modest and another rep from Sony. Liam didn't recognise the woman with the blond bob but she looked like she was a PR agent. Which made it a total of three PR agents in attendance.

"I think this is everyone. As you know, we're gathered here today to strategize on how best to handle Liam and Zayn's coming out." Simon Jones said. "To say this is unprecedented would be an understatement. My goal is to ensure that Modest walks out of this with minimum loss in sales and fan backlash." He sat down. "The floor is open."

Liam felt Zayn tapping his legs. The room was too quiet.

"The biggest problem will be the outcry from the homophobes," this was the Modest rep. “North America counts for a significant portion of our revenue.  You think those Midwestern soccer moms are going to let their children listen to homosexuals?"

"I say we hold the announcement off until the band is over, ” said the blonde PR agent.

"It could be good for sales. No boy-band has ever had a gay couple. Zayn and Liam could be like Britney and Justin. If this works out right we'll have the gays. This is an untapped market, they're single with plenty of disposable income."

Liam zoned out. This meeting wasn't about him and Zayn. It was about Syco, Modest, Sony and the million other bottom feeders who were invested in the band. There argued amongst themselves, raising their voices-

"We want to be together!" Zayn shouted. The room went silent. "The rest doesn’t matter."

"Dear boy, One Direction provides a livelihood to thousands of people. You signed away your rights to choose three and a half years ago." Simon's steely eyed lawyer said.

"We could leave the band," Zayn said.

"You're bound by a contract."

"We don't care. You can't continue this tour without us." Zayn stared the man down. The room was deadly quiet.

"Zayn, take a breath. William was merely expressing his opinion. We understand that you and Liam are in love." Simon said in a reasonable voice. "We're just bouncing ideas around."

"They could do an interview with Attitude or Out."

"Maybe the Times like Ellen DeGeneres did. This is a cultural milestone for gay teens everywhere. That's the point we need to drive; gay equality. Get them a sit-down with Oprah and Barbara Walters. Plenty of photo shoots where they're holding puppies. We need the world to fall in love with them as a couple."  This was said by the American PR agent. She raised her cell phone. "I have contacts at Times Media. One phone call and they will have a sit-down interview scheduled."

"But who gets to break the news?" Simon asked.

"Twitter is the way to go. The fans keep track of them there. They can tweet a picture and it will be trending worldwide within minutes."

Simon looked and Zayn and Liam. "Are you ready for this?"

"Yes," they said in unison.

##### ***

"That was madness," Zayn said as he walked out of the elevator.

"You can say that again." Liam pulled free his key card and unlocked the hotel room. Zayn headed straight to the bed and lied down. Liam opened the mini bar and grabbed two small vodka bottles. He drank them quickly, one after the other.

"Come here," Zayn said. Liam walked to the foot of the bed and stood over Zayn.

"I really need to fuck my brains out after that torture." Zayn reached for Liam by the belt buckle.  Liam stepped away. Zayn frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I was thinking that maybe we should wait."

"Wait for what?"

"Until our wedding night to have sex again." Liam sounded almost shy. Like the old curly head Liam, not the beast Zayn knew he was in bed.

"We don't even have a date set." Zayn said.

"I know. This will be extra incentive to get the ball rolling."

"Bloody hell. More like getting my balls blue."

"You can always jerk off." Liam said.

"I don't understand where this is coming from. We're not exactly shrinking violets. What difference does it make if we continue to have sex or wait?"

"It will make a difference to me. There was a time I thought I would wait. I know it's girly and I sound like a freak, but I want our wedding night to be special." Liam looked so sweet and earnest Zayn couldn't stay irritated at him.

"Okay," Zayn climbed off the bed and walked towards Liam. "I understand what you're saying. But." he stopped right in front of Liam. "We can start tomorrow. Let’s have one last night. I want you to fuck me."  He reached for Liam's belt. "So hard I will taste it."

Liam’s throat worked as he swallowed down air. He leaned so close his lips brushed Zayn's ear. "Set a date." He pressed a kiss to Zayn's cheek and left the room.

Zayn cursed silently.

##### ***

“We want you to look as natural as possible. Just pretend that we’re not here,” the photographer said.

Zayn kissed Liam.

“Lovely. Tilt your faces to the left. Your left.” _Click. Click. Click_. “Fantastic.”

Liam couldn’t help wonder how this was supposed to be small and intimate when there was a group of five people in the room watching him and Zayn. It felt strange kissing Zayn out in the open. Once these pictures hit Twitter everyone would know.

“And finish,” the photographer said. “I’ll take a look at the contact sheets. You guys can have a break.”

Liam and Zayn walked to the corner of the room. Zayn lit up a cigarette.

“Pass that over,” Liam said. Zayn handed Liam the cigarette and Liam took a drag of it. “The shoot is going well.” 

“I thought it would just be us taking a selfie. You know intimate like Simon said.”

“Yeah, me too.” Zayn took the cigarette back from Liam. “You know I jerked off twice last night?”

Liam’s cheeks coloured. He glanced across the room to where the rest of the crew were looking through pictures on the laptop. “Did you now?”

“Do we really have to wait until after the wedding?” Zayn stepped closer to Liam as he sucked on the cigarette suggestively. “That could be months.”

Faced with a bedroom-eyed Zayn, Liam had trouble remembering why he had come up with the ‘no sex before their wedding night’ plan.  They had been sleeping together for months already and had had each other in every possible way. Would it really make their wedding night more special? Or was he creating an impossible situation for them?

“Plenty of long, hard nights.” Zayn was staring at Liam’s lips. Liam was about to speak when the photographer called them back to continue the shoot.

##### ***

The final photo they decided on was Liam and Zayn sitting on a couch with their hands linked. Zayn was gazing at Liam who was laughing straight into the camera. Looking at the picture it was obvious that they were together.

“Colour or black-and-white?” Liam asked Zayn.

“I think we should go with colour. That way people won’t be able to ‘prove’ that the photo is fake.”

Liam frowned. “Why would anyone want to do that?”

“Some people might think we’re saying that we’re together just for publicity. To sell more records.”

 Zayn had had that conversation with Simon last week when they had gone over talking points for the questions that could come up during interviews. Zayn and Liam had been split so that they could grow accustomed being interviewed alone. To say that the sessions had been uncomfortable would have been putting it lightly. Simon and his crew had asked Zayn everything from dildos to who topped and bottom between him and Liam. Zayn could only hope that when he was actually asked the question he wouldn’t stammer and blush like he had in the practise interviews.

“It was an off-hand comment. He said that some people might say that we’re faking being together to sell more records or to cover up the real couple in the band. Louis and Harry.”

“I’m sure Louis and Harry will _love_ that,” Liam said.

“When the story hits and headlines are saying ‘One Direction members come out as a couple’ people will think that it’s Louis and Harry.”

“How are they doing?” Liam asked.

“They’re still pretending to hate each other.”

“We need to talk some sense into them-” Liam paused. They had always talked about going off for a vacation as a band. Maybe Liam and Zayn could use their wedding as a way of getting Louis and Harry together.

“I don’t like that expression on your face,” Zayn said.

“We could go away, the five of us before the wedding. Somewhere isolated - they’ll be forced to talk.”

“You can’t will them to communicate.”

“We can try.”

“So colour?” Zayn nodded at the computer screen.

“Yeah colour. Are you ready for your world to change forever?” Liam smiled.

“Don’t be so dramatic. Post the picture.”

Liam opened a new tweet and attached an image with the caption ‘He said yes.’

##### ***

“Yep, mum it’s true. Zayn and I are engaged.”

Zayn could hear Liam talking on the phone. He tried to imagine what the fallout would have been like if Zayn had notified his family of his engagement via Twitter. It definitely wouldn’t be pretty. His dad still wouldn’t take his calls. His mum kept assuring him that his dad would come around but it had been weeks.

He took a breath and checked Twitter, partly terrified to find how the world was responding. He still needed to post something on his own account. #ZiamEngaged was trending worldwide. He clicked on it.

_Is this April 1 st?_

_Where’s Larry?_

_This is so fake._

_Happy for Liam and Zayn #ZiamEngaged_

_Zayn quit ISIS becoz Liams diq 2 bomb_

_The sound you’re hearing is a million fangirls’ hearts breaking. Which 1D lads have just announced their nuptials TO EACH OTHER? Click here for the scoop._

Zayn typed a message. ‘It’s true. Me and @Real_Liam_Payne are engaged !!’ He posted the message then went to check up on Liam.

“No dates have been set, dad.” Liam was saying. “Yes, Zayn will come over to meet you even though he’s met you hundreds of times before. Okay. No other news.” Liam laughed. “No, neither of us are pregnant. Love you too. Bye.” Liam ended the phone call. “My parents know. They want to meet you. Again.”

Zayn walked over to Liam and hugged him. Liam held Zayn close. “Are they being horrible on-line?”

“Not everyone. Some of them are saying really nice things. At least the worst part is over and we can focus on finishing the tour and planning the wedding.”

“Nine more concerts, love.”

##### ***

The media circus was in full swing. The hotel that they were staying at was leaked online and a group of a dozen or so paparazzi showed up along with hundreds of fans. Zayn couldn't take smoke breaks on the balcony, so he became edgy, dying for a hit of nicotine. Simons teleconferenced with them, telling them not to say anything to the media until further notice. Around 3pm they heard a knock on the door. Liam went to answer. It was Niall.

"I guess congratulations are in order." He hugged Liam and Zayn. "Although I would have liked to have much more notice than two days." He walked to the window and looked out. "The sharks smell blood." Niall closed the blinds and sat on the chair, looking between the two of them.

"We're sorry we told you late. Everything happened so quickly," Liam said.

"Did Harry and Louis know?" Niall asked quietly. Zayn and Liam glanced at one another.

Niall nodded. "Your faces say it all. How long have they known?"

"A couple of months," Zayn said.

"But I'm kept in the dark?"

"We didn't have an option. They saw us together. Like together, _together_ ," Zayn said. "The cat was pretty much out of the bag then."

"Sometimes I feel like the third wheel," Niall said.

"You're not the third wheel." Zayn said. "You're the sanest of us all. You keep us grounded."

There was a knock on the door. Zayn went to answer, it was Louis and Harry.

"Look it's Larry," Niall deadpanned.

"Don't call us that," Louis walked into the room.

"Did you see what's trending on Twitter?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

"Some of the fans aren't taking the news well. They're threatening to burn our CDs."

"They already bought them, it’s no skin off my nose." Liam said. "I think once the shock wears off they'll stop being so dramatic."

"Couldn't you have waited until after the tour to make your big announcement?" Louis asked. Harry walked over to Niall who sat at the desk, clicking away on Zayn’s laptop.

"You know what they say when love takes over," Liam joked weakly. “Have you given further thought to taking that trip with us?”

"Think of it as a lads' weekend away," Zayn told an unconvinced looking Louis. "The five of us on a remote beach - just say yes." Liam had booked a private beach resort on an island in Costa Rica. Zayn, Niall and Harry had already agreed to join them on the vacation.

"You know why I can't go," Louis glanced across the room to Harry and Niall who were bent over a laptop, presumably reading tweets.

"Because of Harry?" Liam guessed.

"Harry said he feels awful about how he left things with you," Zayn said.

"I’ve had enough with this game of broken telephone," Louis said.

"Zayn and I wouldn’t need to be your intermediaries if the two of you actually spoke to one another."

Louis rubbed his hand over his face and glanced at Harry as if to check that Harry wasn’t listening in. He lowered his voice. "When we were in the closet, we did stuff. To each other. He was right behind me and he was turned on, I could feel it. Afterwards we went to my room and had sex. I thought that it meant that we had finally repaired the fracture, that things would now be different for us but the next day it was back to business as usual for Mr. Styles." Louis breathed deeply. "I can't go through that again."

"I'll put you on opposite sides of the house." Liam offered. Louis had to say yes. It wouldn't be the same without him.

"I promised my mum I'd visit her and the twins."

"You can visit your mum afterwards."

"Costa Rica, huh?"

Liam smiled. "Yes, Costa Rica."

***

The wedding date was set. It would be after they finished launching the new album in early December, three months away. The first television interview they had given, after coming out was with Ellen DeGeneres. The rest of the band had been there but Liam and Zayn had been placed on a love seat closer to Ellen and a fair amount of the interview had been spent discussing Zayn and Liam.

 The banter had been fun, although Zayn had felt tense the entire time. From the reaction online the fans enjoyed the interview. According to their publicists the general public's interest in the band had increased and the first single from the new album had charted high on the Billboard 100.

Costa Rica was beautiful. Blue crystal water and white sanded beaches. Zayn spent the first day lounging by the pool, smoking blunts with Louis. He'd fallen asleep on a hammock and awoken when he felt someone standing over him. He opened his eyes and saw Liam, who wore low hanging boxers and was dripping wet like he'd just stepped out of the ocean. He looked incredible. Zayn lowered his sunglasses and openly leered at Liam.

"Hi, babe," Zayn said.

"Hi," Liam smiled.

"Did you go surfing?”

"Yeah. The water was amazing." Liam raked his fingers through his hair, flexing his stomach muscles in the process. Zayn was mesmerised.

"Can you put some sunscreen on me?" Zayn asked.

Liam picked the sunscreen off the floor and squeezed a generous amount onto his palms, he rubbed and distributed a fair portion onto Zayn’s chest and arms. Zayn released a deep sigh. God, that felt good. Liam’s big hands on his sun heated skin. His head fell back and he sighed.  Liam's fingers trailed down from Zayn's chest and rested on Zayn's ribs. 

"Keep going," Zayn said. He was aroused. He knew it was obvious, his hard-on was tenting the swimming trunks. Liam rubbed the lotion on Zayn's midriff, his hands skirted lower. 

“Your skin’s warm,” Liam moved his hands lower, his fingers eased under the swimming trucks.  Zayn held his breath. Was Liam going to…Liam rested his hands on Zayn’s midriff for a second before he removed them.

“Just a few more months,” Liam said.

Zayn closed his eyes and released a harsh breath. _Just a few more months_ , he told himself.

##### ***

“You know what I was thinkin’ earlier?” Niall asked conversationally.

 They were out on the balcony eating breakfast. Liam and Zayn were seated on one side of the table, Harry and Louis on the other side with Niall at the head of the table. _They look cosy_ , Liam thought. When he’d gone to look for Louis earlier that night to discuss a few things about the upcoming album launch he had found Louis’ room empty and his bed looked like it hadn’t been slept in. Now Louis and Harry were joined at the hip and Louis was smiling in a way he hadn’t for ages.

That alone would be the highlight of this trip.

“What were you thinking, Niall?” Harry asked.

“If I had known that this would be a couple’s retreat I would’ve brought someone.”

“This isn’t a couples’ retreat,” Zayn said.

“You two spend most of the day trying not to have sex and these two spend their days having sex. Once again, I’m the third wheel.”

“Niall, it’s not like that,” Louis said.

“So you and Harry _aren’t_ sneaking into each other’s rooms at night?” Niall asked.

“You’re not a third wheel,” Harry said.

“Yes, I am. It just would’ve been nice to be told beforehand.” Niall reached for slice of toast and buttered it generously. “I would’ve brought that Victoria Secret bird along.”

Liam glanced at Zayn who looked just as guttered as Liam felt. They had been caught up on getting Louis and Harry to reconcile and planning the wedding they had neglected Niall.

“How about we split the couples?” Liam said.

“What?” Harry asked.

“Harry, you and Louis can’t hang out today and neither can Zayn and I.”

“What are you on about, mate?” Louis asked.

“We’re splitting the couples because Niall-”

“Louis and I aren’t a couple,” Harry said. Louis glanced down at his plate while Harry flushed a deep pink.

“Uh, we’ll separate the _special friends_.” Liam paused, Harry looked like he was about to protest. “Okay, that’s settled.”

They finished breakfast and afterwards instead of hanging out with Zayn in the recording studio Liam accompanied Harry and Niall to a yoga class. It wasn’t comfortable, Liam wasn’t the most flexible of people but afterwards his body felt relaxed, sort of how he normally felt after sex. Which he shouldn’t think about since it was his stupid, bloody idea for him and Zayn not to have sex again until after they were married. A plan that was literally growing harder and harder to stick to.

Zayn had looked so sexy lying next to the pool. It had taken an incredible amount of willpower for Liam to stop, for him not to pull the swimming trunks Zayn had been wearing and bury his face Zayn’s crotch and sucking Zayn off until Zayn was coming hard.

 _The wait will be worth it,_ he kept telling himself.  Too bad his dick didn’t seem to want to listen to him most of the time.

##### ***

“Are you enjoying your last months as a single lad?” Louis asked.

Zayn stared up at the sky, the fishing boat they were on was rocking. The question shouldn’t require such deep contemplation. He wasn’t scared, he didn’t have cold feet. He knew deep down in the marrow of his being that he was meant to be with Liam. There would never be anyone else again. He wasn’t going to lose his freedom, neither did he feel like he was being tied down. Quite the opposite actually, he felt all of his life he had been hiding and being with Liam, he was finally himself. Zayn.

“Aww, you’re just counting down the days until you become Mrs. Liam Payne.” Louis said. Zayn tried to kick Louis who rolled away from the would-be blow, laughing easily. “Or maybe you’re just looking forward to having sex again.”

“He told you?” Zayn asked.

“I walked in on the Liam taking care of himself and he confessed the entire no-sex-before-the-wedding night plotline. The poor lad could kick himself in arse for devising this torturous plan. He’s barely functional what with you flaunting yourself all the time.”

“I wasn’t ‘flaunting’ myself.”

“That’s not how Liam tells it.”

Zayn recalled the moment from the other day, him and Liam by the pool. He’d jumped into a cold shower and jerked off afterwards, recalling the feel of Liam’s hands on him and the way Liam had looked at him like he could swallow Zayn up. It had been intense.

“You didn’t like Harry denying that you were couple.” Zayn said, changing the topic because he was going to get embarrassingly aroused if he thought about his and Liam’s upcoming wedding night. He rolled onto his side so he could look at Louis, whose face was caught somewhere between a grimace and a smile.

“He wasn’t lying,” Louis said. “We’re not a couple.”

“Would you like to be?”

Louis didn’t answer.

“For what it’s worth, I think you and him would be something special together.”

“Me too.” Louis whispered.

***

They left Costa Rica three days later and flew home. At Heathrow, the paps where camped out, shoving and shouting, trying to take their pictures.  It wasn’t the normal group, these paps were vicious.

Zayn gritted his teeth, head bent low as he walked behind Preston.

“Zayn, how ‘bout snogging your boyfriend?” one of them shouted.

“Zayn, is it true that Liam buggers you up the arse?” another asked.

Up ahead Zayn saw Liam stop dead in his tracks. Liam turned, his eyes narrowed. “Why don’t you just fuck off?”

The pap laughed, delighted to have peeved Liam off. “Look, he’s standing up for his boyfriend.”

“Liam, just keep walking.” Liam’s bodyguard, Paddy said. 

“I knew you were all fairies. The 1D lads probably tag-team Zayn every night after-”

 The paparazzo who was speaking didn’t get the opportunity to finish his sentence. Liam was on him in a flash, fists plummeting into the man’s face. The rest of the paps surrounded Liam and the man, like they were watching a dog fight.

“Liam,” Zayn pushed one of the paps, trying to reach Liam. The situation was quickly getting out of control.

“Step back,” Preston said. He easily shoved the men out of the way and got his grip on Liam and pulled him off the pap, leading him to the awaiting car.

“You’re going to pay for that, faggot.” The paparazzo Liam had punched, shouted.

“Call my lawyer,” Liam said as he was guided into the car. Zayn put his arm around Liam, noting how Liam’s hands were bruised and trembling.

“You shouldn’t have hit him,” Zayn held Liam’s hands in his own.

“You heard the things he was saying. I couldn’t just – they’re so vile.”

“I know, babe.”  Zayn let Liam rest on his shoulder as they were driven home.

##### ***

The next day The Sun had a huge headline ‘ _1D’s Liam kicks off at reporter’_. The Daily Mail had: ‘ _Trouble in paradise? Liam thinking of calling the wedding off_.’ Zayn threw the papers in the garbage bin without reading them.

##### ***

The day of the wedding arrived. It felt like it had just been the other day when Liam had sent that dirty text accidently to Zayn. That might have been the best accident he had ever had in his life; it had gotten him and Zayn together. He had no doubt that somewhere down the line they would have found each other but they would have had to live without one another during that time which was something he didn't care much for. Each day with Zayn was a gift to be treasured. Today he would finally be able to walk down the aisle and let the world know just how much Zayn meant to him.

He was trying to tie his bowtie when he heard a faint knock on the door. Without waiting for response whoever was knocking let themselves in. It was Louis, of course.

"Are you decent?" Louis asked, he was wearing a tux and had a hand held over his eyes.

"You've already seen me naked," Liam said.

"And it was traumatic enough the first time." Louis closed the door and walked in. "Looking sharp." He let out a low whistle.

Liam turned to him, "Can you help me with the bow tie? My fingers don't seem to want to work."

"Cold feet?" Louis asked. He walked over to Liam and took hold of the bowtie.

"Nah, just nervous energy." Liam shifted his weight from one foot to another. "You're good at this."

"I used to do Harry's all the time when we lived together." Louis stepped back, smiling. "All done."

Liam faced the mirror and looked at himself. He looked good. The suit was courtesy of Dolce and Gabbana and had been exclusively tailored for him. He reached for the cuff links and put them on. Next was the jacket.  He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath.

"Am I making a giant mistake?" Liam asked.

 Louis stepped close to Liam and placed a reassuring hand on Liam's left shoulder. "You're crazy in love with Zayn."

"You don't think we're too young?"

"You could be. But then again an asteroid could fall from the sky tomorrow and kill us all. I don't believe in fate or destiny but sometimes when I look at the five of us, I think that maybe I'm wrong. There's an invisible hand guiding us. It guided Harry to me and Zayn to you."

Liam blinked back tears. "That's just...” he gave up on finding words and pulled Louis in for a hug. “Don’t tell Harry and Niall this, but out of my best man’s today I think you’re my favourite."

Louis laughed easily before he ended the hug. They heard a wedding waltz begin to play. "That's your cue, Liam. Ready?"

"Ready."

##### ***

Zayn was in one of the venue’s dressing rooms. He had completed getting dressed a while back and was thinking of stepping outside for a quick cigarette when someone knocked on the door.

“Zayn?” he heard his mum call.

“Come in,” Zayn said. His mum walked in, looking lovely in a light blue Chanel gown. Her eyes instantly teared over when she saw him.

“My baby is getting married,” she said.

“Don’t cry, you’ll ruin your mascara.” Zayn yanked a tissue from a box by the mirror. She took it and gently dabbed at her eyes.

“Karen and I had a wager on who would cry first. I guess I lost.” She sniffed delicately. “How’re you feeling?”

“Nervous.”

“I was a dreadful mess the day I got married. It’s normal.” His mum smiled. “I have something that might cheer you up.” She walked to the door and opened it. Zayn’s dad walked in dressed in a tux.

“Dad, you came,” Zayn said. Over the last few months he’d barely spoken to his father and had resigned himself to the idea of getting married without his dad in attendance. His mum kissed Zayn on the cheek and said she would leave the two of them alone so they could speak.

“Nice venue,” his dad said once the door closed after Zayn’s mum.

“It is,” Zayn agreed.

 “When I married your mother, there were many people who were against our relationship,” his dad said. “Her father didn’t attend the ceremony and we never saw him until he got sick two years back. You’ve suffered enough as it is. You don’t need to feel like your own family shuns you. You’re my son, I love and accept you.”

Zayn felt his eyes prickle. “You’re not saying that because mum’s forcing you?”

“No. I’ve been stubborn these last few months but no quarrel is worth losing my only son.”

Zayn hugged his father. “I love you too, dad.”

##### ***

Oh my god, Liam was his husband. Zayn’s stomach did a weird somersault. _Husband_. He'd never thought he'd have one of those. 

The house they’d rented for the honeymoon was in the South of France. They could have gone anywhere in the world for their honeymoon but Liam had always liked France and the allure of not dealing with the paparazzi was a plus. They had flown in a private jet, and were currently en route to the château in a limo.

Liam glanced at him. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I can't believe that you’re my husband." Zayn replied honestly.

"I'm thinking that I can't believe it's been months since I last had your cock inside of me."

Zayn's entire body went taut, his face flushing hot. Liam always surprised him. One day he'd be sweet and self-effacing and coy, the other he would be saying things like that. Zayn glanced at the partition which was pulled all the way up. The limo was tinted; for all intents and purposes they were alone. Zayn placed his champagne glass on the bar counter and unclipped his seat belt. He knelt between Liam’s thighs and pushed them apart.

Liam leaned back on the seat, his eyes darkening as he looked at Zayn, who reached for Liam's belt and deftly pulled it free from its loops. He unbuttoned Liam's trousers and pulled down the zipper. Fuck, he'd missed this. He lowered his face to Liam's crotch, breathed deeply, nosing at Liam's erection. Liam's dick made his mouth water.

"Jesus," Liam murmured, his thighs trembling. Zayn continued to nose at the material, taking Liam's scent into his lungs. He yanked the boxers Liam wore down, exposing Liam's erection. Zayn drew Liam into his mouth.

Zayn was drooling, his saliva trailing out of his mouth and onto Liam's dick. Zayn sucked the fat mushroom head into his mouth. He wanted to get Liam to come embarrassingly quickly. Waiting for their wedding night? After all the filthy things they had already done to one another?  That had been unnecessary torture. Zayn was going to make Liam shoot so hard he would see stars.

"Fuck," Liam moaned. "Zayn... fuck."

Zayn knew he looked good like this, on his knees with Liam's cock in his mouth. Liam was looking at Zayn like he was hypnotised, his eyes half closed, his face red. He was panting like he was running the last mile of the London Marathon. Zayn had his full and undivided attention.

_This is all for you._

Zayn wanted to say. He didn't get on his knees for anyone else. This was for Liam. This was because of Liam. 

Liam's hips jerked up and down from the car seat. He closed his eyes, his mouth falling open as he came. Zayn opened his mouth as wide as he could catching some of Liam's come, most of it dripping out of Zayn's mouth and onto Liam's twitching cock. It covered Zayn’s lips and chin, he must look like a mess.

Zayn released Liam's cock and fell back on his haunches, gazing up at Liam whose chest was heaving.

"Come up here," Liam said, his eyes still closed.

"No." Zayn replied.

Liam's eyes open and he saw the state of Zayn's face and shirt. He murmured, "Shit." He dug out a handkerchief and wiped Zayn's chin and cheeks. "I didn't mean to."

"I know." Zayn responded.

"Let me suck you off," Liam said.

"You'll have to wait for it because I need to fuck you on a bed first."

##### ***

They arrive at the château. It’s a century old and lavish. The driver carried their bags to their room accompanied by a woman called Eva who introduced herself as the head of the household staff.

"Eva," Zayn said.

"Yes, sir?"

"I'd like you and your staff to leave the house," Zayn said. "Please."

Eva looked confused. "I don't -"

"My husband-" God, that word again. Who knew it would be such a turn on? "And I would like to have privacy." Zayn figured that was a polite, decent way of saying that he and Liam needed privacy so they could fuck in every room of the château.

"I'll inform the others," Eva nodded politely and left the room. As soon as the door closed Zayn spoke.

"Liam, take your clothes off and get on the bed."

Liam shrugged his jacket off and dropped it onto the floor. His shirt and trousers were next. He kicked his boxers off and walked to the bed and climbed onto it.  He was hard.

"Stroke your cock for me." Zayn unbuttoned his jacket and placed it on the chair by the dresser. Liam eased a hand around his cock and stroked himself. "Back in the limo, did you like me sucking your cock?”

"Yeah." Liam’s chest was flushed, a red bloom running from his cheeks to his sternum. Liam watched Zayn as he worked his own cock.

"I've been counting down the days until today." Zayn unbuckled his belt and placed on the back off the chair. He pulled the tails of his shirt free of his trousers.  "Did you do this a lot these past weeks?"

"Yes."

"It’s never as good as fucking.”

“No, it isn’t.” Liam’s eyes tracked Zayn’s movements. He swallowed thickly when Zayn undid his shirt one button at a time.

“What did you miss most?” Zayn asked.

“Everything.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“I, uh-” Liam licked his lips.

“You weren’t so shy back in the limo.” Zayn shrugged off his shirt and hung it on the chair. “Do you want me to guess?”

“Yes.”

“I think that you missed my cock the most.” Zayn unzipped his trousers, letting the hiss of metal punctuate his words. “I think you probably got into bed every night slicked your fingers and slid them into your tight hole wishing it was my cock instead.”

 "Fuck, Zayn." Liam’s right knee fell to the side. His hand wasn’t moving, it was curled underneath his cock, cupping his balls.

“It’s the truth, isn’t it?”  Zayn looked at Liam from across the room, his hands were on the elastic waistband of his pants. Liam’s eye flittered downwards.

“Yes.”

Zayn pulled his pants his thighs and stepped out of them. He walked over to their bags, unzipped one and pulled out the lube. He carried it to the bed and climbed on it.

"I missed this too.” Zayn slicked his fingers with lube and parted Liam’s arse cheeks with one hand while he worked on getting Liam ready with the other.  He wanted to be buried to the hilt in that tight heat. “You took me so well that first time. Never had a dick inside of you but you stayed hard the whole time. You fucking loved it.”

“I did.” Liam’s voice hitched when Zayn slid a finger inside him. Zayn worked another finger into Liam. He had to do this right, it had been a while. Once he had worked Liam opened, he spread Liam’s arse cheeks and guided his dick into Liam inch by inch. This was the part Zayn had missed. Having Liam like this, neck thrown back, mouth slack and open, eyes dilated by lust. Zayn slid slowly into Liam until his balls hit Liam’s arse.

“How’s that?” Zayn asked.

“Good.” Liam hips bucked up as Zayn began to thrust in and out of him, building a slow rhythm.

“Fuck, I missed this.” Zayn kissed Liam’s flushed chest. “There were so many times I saw you and I just wanted to get you naked and have you spread out like this.” Zayn’s hips snapped forward as he drove his cock deep into Liam. “My sexy husband.”

A tremor ran through Liam’s body. Zayn curled his right fist around Liam’s cock and jerked him off to the pace of his thrusts. He wanted this to last but he knew it wouldn’t. It had been too long since the last time. He panted, jerked and was coming hard. He felt Liam come and Zayn stroked him through his orgasm.

He lied on top of Liam, too tired to move. They would stay in bed for the rest of the day and soon as they mustered up energy they would do this again. They could always go site seeing tomorrow. 

Or maybe the day after tomorrow.

##### The End


End file.
